A dialoge or communication of two persons

wykyte ther was a grate of yrne, that no man cã passe theryn but a footemã, for it is nat conuenyent that any horsse shuld tread after apon y

place, whiche the knyght dyd cõsecrate to owr lady.

Me. Nat withowt a good cause.

Ogy. Frome that parte toward the Este, there is a litle chapell, full of maruayles and thyther I wête, ther was I receyuyd of another of our ladyes chaplenes, ther we knelyd downe, to make our litle prayeres. By & by, he broght forthe the ioynte of a mannes fynger, the greatyste of thre, which I kyssyd, & askyd whose relyques thay were, he dyd say that thay were saynt Petres. What thapostle sayd I. Ye sayd he. Than I dyd better beholde the ioynte, whiche for hys greatenes myght well haue be a Gyãtes ioynte, rather than a mannes. Than sayd I, saynt Peter must nedys be a great man of stature. But at that word, ther was one of the gentlemê that stode by, that could not forbere lawghynge, for the which I was very sory. For if he had holden hys pease, we had sene all the relyques, yet we metely well pleasyd mayster Sextê, with gyuynge hym .ii. or .iii. grotes. Before that chapell there was a litle howsse, which he sayd ones in wynter tyme whan y

there was litle rowme to couer the reliques, that it was sodenly broght & sett in that place. Under that house there was a couple of pittes, bothe fulle of water to the brynkys, and thay say that y

sprynge of thos pittes is dedicate to our lady, that water is very colde, and medycynable for the hede ake and that hartburnynge.

Me. If that cold water wyll hele the paynes in the hede and stomake, than wyll oyle put owte fyre from hensforthe.

Ogy. It is a myrakle that I tell, good syr, or els what maruayle shuld it be, y

cowld water shuld slake thurste?

Me. This may well be one parte of your tale.

Ogy. Thay say that the fowntayne dyd sodenly sprynge owte of the erthe at the commaundement of our lady, & I dilygently examenynge althynges, dyd aske hym how many yeres it was sythe that howsse was so sodenly broght thyther. Many yeres agone saythe he. Yet, sayde I, the wallys doo nat apere so old. He dyd nat denay it. No mor thes woden pyleres. He cowld nat denay but y

they were sette there nat longe agoo, and also the mater dyd playnly testyfye y

same. Afterward, sayd I, thys roffe which is all of rede dothe apere nat to be very olde, & he granted also, thes greete bemes which lye ouerthwerte, and these rafteres that hold vpe that howsse were nat sett longe agone. He affyrmyd my saynge. Well sayd I seynge that no parte of the housse is lefte but all is new, how can yow say that this was the house whiche was broght hyther so longe agoo.

Me. I pray you how dyd the howskeper, auoyde hymselffe frome your argumêt.

Ogy. By & by he dyd shew to vs the mater by the skyne of a bayre whiche had hangyd be the rafteres a longe season, and dyd almost moke the symplenes of owre wyttes that could nat perceyue so manyfeste an argumête we beynge perswadyd by this argument, askid pardon of our ignorance, and callid into our communycacyon the heuêly mylke of our lady.

Me. O how like to the sone is the mother, for he hath left to vs so moche blood here in erthe, & she so moche mylke, that a man wyl skarysly beleue a woman to haue so moche mylke of one chylde, in case the chyld shuld sukke none at all.

Ogy. Thay saye the same of the holy crosse, whiche is shewyd in so many places bothe openly, and pryuately, that if y

fragmentes were gathered apon one heape, they wold apere to be a iuste fraghte for a shipe, and yet Christe dyd bere all his crosse hymselffe.

Me. But do nat you maruayll at this?

Ogy. It may welbe a strãge thynge, but no maruayle, seynge that the lord whiche dothe encreasse this at hys pleasure, is almyghty.

Me. It is very gently expownded, but I am afrayd, that many of thes be faynyd for lukre.

Ogy. I suppose y

God wold nat suffre hymselffe to be deludyd of suche a fasshion.

Mene. Yis, haue nat you sene that whã bothe the mother, the sone, the father, and the holy ghoste hathe be robbyd of thes sacrilegyous theues, that thay woldnat ones moue, or styre nother with bekke or crakke wherby thay myght fray away the theues. So great is the gentles of God.

Ogy. So it is, but here out me tale. This mylke is kepyd apon the hye aultre, and in the myddys ther is Christe, w

his mother apon hys ryght hand, for her honor sake, the mylke dothe represente the mother.

Me. It may be sene than?

Ogy. It is closyd in crystalle.

Me. It is moyste thã?

Ogy. What tell you me of moystenes, whã it was mylkyd more than a thowsand and fyue hunthrithe yere agone, it is so congelyd, that a mã wold saye that it were chalke temperyd with the whyte of a egge.

Me. Ye, but do thay sette it forthe bare?

Ogy. No, lest so holy mylke shuld be defowlyd with the kyssynge of men.

Me. You say well. For I suppose y

ther be many that kysse it, whiche be nother clene mouthyd, nor yet be pure virgynes.

Ogy. Whan y

sexten sawe vs, he dyd runne to the aultre, & put apon hym his surplese, & his stole about his nekke, knelyd downe relygyously, and worshipyd it, and streghtforthe dyd offre the mylke to vs to kysse. And at the ende of the aultre we knelyd downe deuoutly, & the fyrste of all we salutyd Christe, & than after we callyd apon our lady with thys prayer, whiche we had mayd redy for the same purpose. O mother & mayde, whiche dyd gyue sukke with thy virgynes teates the lorde of heuen and yerthe, thy sone Iesus Christe, we beynge puryfyed thorowe hys precyous blode, do desyre that we may attayne, and come to that blessyd infancye of thy colombynes meknes, whiche is immaculate without malice, frawde, or diseyte, and with all affectyon of harte dothe couett and stody for the heuenly mylke of the euangelicall doctryne, to go forthe and encrease with it into a perfaycte man, into the mesure of the plentefulnes of Christe, of whose cõpany thou haste the fruycyon, togyther with the father, & the holy ghost for euermore, so be it.

Me. Uerely thys is a holy prayer. But what dyd she?

Ogygy. Thay bothe bekkyd at vs, excepte my eyes waggyd, and me thoght y

the mylke daunsyd. In the meanseson the sexten came to vs, withowt any wordes, but he held out a table suche as the Germanes vse to gather tolle apon bridges.

Me. By my trothe I haue cursyd veryofte suche crauynge boxes, whan I dyd ryde thorowe Germany.

Ogy. We dyd gyue hym certayne monay whiche he offeryd to our lady. Thã I axyd by a certayne yonge man, yt was well learnyd, whiche dyd expownde and tell vs the saynge of ye Sextê, hys name (as fere as I remembre) was Robert alderisse, by what tokenes or argumêtes he dyd know that it was the mylke of owr lady. And that I very fayne, & for a good purpose desyred to knowe, y

I myght stope the mowthes of certayne newfanglyd felowes, that be wotyd to haue suche holy relyques in derysyon and mokage. Fyrst of all the Sexten w

a froward cowntenãce wold nat tell, but I desyryd the yong man to moue hym more instantly, but somwhat more gently he so courtesly behauyd hymselffe, y

and he had prayd owr lady herselffe after y

fashion, she wold nat haue be dysplesyd therwith. And thã this mystycall chapleyn, as and if he had be inspyryd with y

holy ghoste, castynge at vs a frounynge loke, as & if he wold haue shote at vs y

horryble thonderbolte of the greate curse, what nede you (saythe he) to moue suche questyones, whan yow see before your eyes so autentycall & old a table. And we were afrayd lest that he wold haue cast vs out of the churche for heretykes, but that oure monay dyd tempte hys greate furye.

Mene. What dyd you in the meaneseason?

Ogygyus. What suppose you? We were amasyd as and if a man had stryke vs with a clube, or we had be slayne with a thonderclape, and we very lowly axid pardon of oure folishe boldenes, and gote vs frome thens. For so must we entreate holy thynges. Frome thens we went in to y

howse where owre lady dwellithe, and whan we came there, we sawe another Sexten whiche was but a noues, he lokyd famylarly as and if he had knowê vs, and whã we came a litle further in, we sawe another, y